46 rebels return to government fold
Through the Philippine Army field units' partnership with the local
officials and civilians in various parts of the country, more and more
rebels are seeing the government's sincerity in the peace process,
resulting in a large number of surrenders, most especially in members of
the New People's Army (NPA) rebels, for the month of October.
Reports reaching the Philippine Army Headquarters revealed that, just
for the month of October, a total of 41 NPA members surrendered to
various Army field units in the country, bringing the total NPA
surrenders for 2009 to 458. Also, a group of five Moro-Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, led by Abdul Bualan Nasser, turned
themselves over in Maguindanao last October 10, together with their
firearms. This made the year's total number of MILF rebel surrenders to
438.
The large number in the surrenders is attributed to the Philippine Army
field units' peaceful partnership with the local officials and residents
in different parts of the country. The importance of this linkaging and
collaboration with the local government officials, government agencies,
and NGO's has been stressed by Lt. Gen. Delfin N. Bangit in his guidance
to senior commanders during the Command Conference in Camp Lapu-Lapu in
Cebu City last November 3. Also a big factor in the surrenders is the
Social Integration Program that proves how the government cares for the
rebels and that they shall be taken care of after they return to the
fold of law.
In the Philippine Army's efforts at fulfilling the mission of serving
the citizens better, the Command has already activated six more
battalions for this year-two Civil Military Operations Battalions, three
Infantry Battalions, and the Multi-Role Force Battalion. The Command is
continuously undertaking efforts to organize, train, and equip
additional units in fulfillment of the AFP mission. These efforts,
together with the collaboration of the field units with the local
government and civilians, are the reasons why the Philippine Army is on
the right track towards the fulfillment of the 2010 deadline.
With only eight months left before the 2010 deadline, the Philippine
Army shall work harder to persuade the rebels to return to government
fold, making the country more peaceful than it has been for decades.#
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